Iowa City Council members plan to explore ways to better protect diverse populations and undocumented immigrants through city policy, and to do that are revisiting details of a five-year-old conversation about becoming a sanctuary city.

This week, the council agreed to explore the topic more at its Jan. 3 work session after Mayor Jim Throgmorton explained in a Dec. 1 memo that several community members have come forward to suggest the city declare itself a sanctuary city in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s election.

“This was brought up after all the intimidating statements the winning candidate made during the (presidential) campaign,” Throgmorton told the Press-Citizen on Friday. “We firmly reject efforts to villainize, terrorize and intimidate our friends and neighbors on the basis of their ethnicity, religion or country of origin.”

On a matter this important, your voice must be heard.

Priorities for Iowa, Inc. is encouraging members of the Iowa City community and its neighbors to attend the meeting or to contact local Iowa City officials regarding the city’s consideration of becoming a sanctuary city.

Iowa City council members and the mayor plan to explore ways to better protect illegal immigrants through city policy. The City Council work session will be open to the public on January 3rd at 5pm at Iowa City City Hall 410 East Washington St., Iowa City. We hope all concerned Iowans voice their opinion.